Eczema / dry skin home solutions?

L

Liquorice

Registered User
Hi, over the past couple of days my 9 month old has started to develop a rash around his mouth. Originally I thought it was caused by drooling a lot from teething, but it is looking increasingly like eczema.

I have his 9 month appointment with his paediatrician on Tuesday so was just going to address it then - as I don't think it is bothering him that much - but is there anything I can put on it in the meantime? I was putting on Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream as this is very good for dry skin, but I was reading that you shouldn't put anything 'vaseliny' on eczema. Is this true? How about normal moisturizer or non-comodogenic moisturizer?
 
Try calendula cream which is natural and hypoallergenic. I use one from California baby but I believe weleda makes one too.

Here's the link http://usa.weleda.com/our-products/shop/calendula-baby-cream.aspx

I've seen it at bumps to babes
 
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You could also try Olive oil or Coconut oil if you are looking for something easier to get. Creams and oils are not likely to remove it, but it should be better with moisterisor than without. There is a lot of conflicting information about Exzema out there. For us Calendula was good for when it was mild, and sheer butter when it was worst.
 
vaseline is actually highly recommended by a lot of dermatologists... physiogel AI lotion/cream are good for maintenance but not as much for getting the problem under control. Facial eczema is one of the hardest because you don't want to use much/any cortisones on the facial skin, but with time you and your ped can get it under control.
 
The problem with eczema is that, what works for some, might not work for you. so you really have to try and see what will work for your baby.

I have nearly tried everything for my baby: AI Cream, QV, Cetaphil, Vaseline, Eucerin, Calendula cream (Earth's Best), Aqueous cream, olive oil, coconut oil. What I like the best are coconut oil and olive oil, cause they are natural and are easily absorbed by the skin, which allow my baby skin to "breath". Needless to say, none of the cream removed the condition, but at least kept the skin moist. Only steroid worked for us once there was any breakout.
 
My child has terrible eczema, and we have tried it all.. California baby,ceraphil,qv,dermaveen,aveeno baby,earths best,virgin coconut oil,etc.. Currently she is using physiogel AI cream and it's keeping it moisturized with occasional flareups, which most dermatologists say is impossible to prevent. The water is hk seems to be making it much worse though.it's really tough with a child with eczema. She is up in the night scratching or crying.. But keep trying to find out what can help! It's been two years and countless visits to dermatologists and we still have not found any cures..
 
trttrt said:
My child has terrible eczema, and we have tried it all.. California baby,ceraphil,qv,dermaveen,aveeno baby,earths best,virgin coconut oil,etc.. Currently she is using physiogel AI cream and it's keeping it moisturized with occasional flareups, which most dermatologists say is impossible to prevent. The water is hk seems to be making it much worse though.it's really tough with a child with eczema. She is up in the night scratching or crying.. But keep trying to find out what can help! It's been two years and countless visits to dermatologists and we still have not found any cures..
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trttrt, have your baby done any allergy test?
 
Eczema in children and babies is very common and fortunately most babies/children grow out of it. Some children and adults do not grow out of it and will have it for life. No one is sure what causes eczema or why most children grow out of it but it seems to be linked to an overactive immune system and runs in families with Asthma and Hayfever.

There is no cure for eczema but if you treat the symptoms it will help relive the itching, limit the spread of eczema and help prevent infection. Hong Kong’s climate is quite good for Eczema most of the year (as the humidity helps keep the skin moist) but Hong Kong summers are very tough (as heat and sweat are often a trigger for eczema)

Here are some general rules that can be used for babies and children:

Lubricate the Skin
- use a bath oil to lubricate the skin and help leave a protective layer (QV Bath Oil from Ego is very good).In summer I prefer to use bath or shower oils over moisturiser as they don’t make you sweat.
- do not use soap, washes or detergent (as it drys the skin and removes the oil layer making eczema worse
- Use a simple fragrance free thin lotion as a moisturiser in Hong Kong. A thin moisturiser lotion is preferable to a thick cream as it does not make you sweat. Put on the moisturiser in air conditioned room 15 mins before they go out (as Hong Kong is hot and humid and the moisturiser tends to make children sweat in heat so put on early). In Winter you can use a thicker mositeriser which wil help lubricate the skin more
- if your child gets infected eczema then you will need to see DR as your child may need Steroids and/or Antibiotics (see below). At home you can use QV Flare Up Bath Oil or Pinetarsol in the bath to help reduce itch and control infections (both are good at reducing the itch and help limit or reduce infections which are very common in the height of summer)

Washing Clothes, Sheets and Towels
- Clean fresh sheets and mattress protectors can help if your child has allergy to dust mites (and wont do any harm)
- Use an extra rinse with your washing as some people have reactions to the concentrated enzymes of cold water detergents. A hot wash and an extra rince makes sure all detergent residue is removed. If you want to test your washing, put your clothes through a warm wash with no detergent, if you see any bubbles or residue then you should use less detergent and consider a baby friendly or hand wash solution (such as Lux or Woolite) which can be used in machines and have limited enzymes.

Stop the scratching:
- watch our for your child’s triggers and try avoid them, some children are sensitive to detergents, some are sensitive to pet dander & dust mites, some are sensitive to heat and sweat and some just get eczema for no apparent reason. If you can avoid or limit the trigger you will help reduce the symptoms
- be careful about linking eczema and food allergies. While it is true that some children have an allergic reaction to certain foods in most cases this is pretty obvious and many children have food removed for no reason or because they had a reaction at one point in their life (which they have grown out of). The skin tests are of limited use though they can show immediate and clear reactions to things like pet dander or detergents. If you plan on removing food products from your children’s diet remember that you need to re-introduce those foods to test whether the child is allergic to them. This means that you will need to remove a food (eg wheat) for 3+ months and if an improvement is noted, re-introduce that food for 3+ months to test whether the problem gets worse again. After 2-3 years you will need to retest this as children’s allergies change a lot eg my daughter was allergic to eggs at 6 months but fine by 12 months
- if you cant stop the eczema stop the scratching, for medium to severe eczema (eg child scratches till they draw blood or scratches in their sleep) consider thin cotton gloves at night. You may also want to discuss antihistamines with your doctor (as these can help if your child has other allergies

Steroids & Antibiotics
- if your child develops eczema then your Dr will proscribe topical steroids to stop your child scratching and reduce damage to skin caused by eczema. While Steroids can thin the skin overtime the damage to your skin from your child scratching is far worse than not using steroids. Most Drs will start with 1% hyrdo cortisone, which is a very mild topical steroid that you can buy over the counter, with stronger steroids for medium to severe eczema
- As someone who has suffered with eczema throughout my life I have zero tolerance for parents who refuse to use steroids on children with eczema. Topical steroids help reduce the itch, they reduce the inflammation and they help prevent long term damage to your skin. For your child the steroid cream will help make eczema manageable and make them feel they are in control

UV Treatment
- For medium to severe eczema in children or your adults some DR will use UV exposure which helps reduce eczema.
 
Gataloca said:
trttrt, have your baby done any allergy test?
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Hey Gataloca, we recently brought her to a doctor as her skin flared up after she arrived in hk. The doctor was recommended by a friend who is an eczema sufferer. The doc advised for me to bring my child for allergy testing at about 3 as the tests for 2 year olds are v limited. Once they reach three, the tests are more extensive and accurate as often they outgrow their allergies when v young. Do you have any advice for me? I am open and would like to try out any possibilities. Thanks so much!!
 
My baby is currently 13.5 month old, and he has eczema since he was 1 month old. Some doctor suggested that it might be something on his diet that might have triggered the condition. As I was breastfeeding, some suggested me to stop (as it might be something on my diet), and feed the baby some soy formula. I didn't do it, cause by that time, my baby has already started solid anyway... and since they really didn't know IF he was really allergy to anything, i didn't want to stop breastfeeding just to give it a try (he even had a skin test, and he didn't have any reaction to any of the food tested).

Few weeks ago, we took him to a delayed food allergy test (http://www.hkbiotek.com). We just got the result, and he came positive (mild reaction) on few foods: bamboo shot, carrot, whey, milk, wheat, egg. We will now try to take those food out of his (and my) diet, to see if his skin would improved.
 
Hi Gataloca,
Can they run test for a 4 month old too? My son has also eczama and is exclusively breastfeed so far. If so, perahps I could take him there for a test too. Let us know if his skin conditions improve after you change your diet.

Have you try adding Omega-3 in your diet, like taking supplements? I read in DR. Sears book that that might help but I never try, as we just found that that he has eczama.
 
Hi Carey. According to the web site: "In general, infant after 6 months starts to produce its own antibodies. Thus, kids age after 6 months and start eating solid foods can take the test."

Actually I am taking Omega-3 supplement. And I started taking it,not because of my baby eczema, but because I was hoping that it might help with my "baby brain" condition, lol!
 
What brand are you taking? and where do you buy it. I have been thinking to take it too. Thanks.
 
My daughter has eczema since 2 weeks old. I take Omega 3 DHA since 3rd trimester for the same reason as Gataloca. However, I realised when she was 6months that seafood may have contributed to her flare up and Omega 3 is fish oil! So, i stopped taking them and noticed her eczema didn't flare up as much as before. Now, she still gets the occasional flare up but not that bad ( she is now 8 months ). so I take them every 2nd - 3rd day depending on her skin condition.

I had my daughter tested for allergy when she was 6 months old and she came back positive on egg White. I intend to re-do the test when she turns 1. She did the blood test and not the skin test.

Probiotics also helps her eczema. What works for us is a mixture of creams - California baby ( contains aqua which is good for the eczema skin which doesn't know how to retain moisture/water) as a base, then we seal it with either burts bee or repcillin crocodile oil. We use qv bath oil as well. Once a week or on days she has flare up, we bath her in honeysuckle brown sugar water + qv bath oil as it seems to soften her skin.

We give her Chinese herbal water (some sort of grass + sugar pumpkin) to detox her body weekly. Since she started taking this, we see a significant reduction in flare up. For us, that was her "miracle potion". She still has mini flare up but that is due to allergy to food with starting solid.

All our clothes are now washed with extra rinse cycle. We used to "double wash". We change our bedsheets twice a
week. We have a humidifier turned on 24/7 as air conditioner drys their skin. The air purifier is also turned on at night.
 
Carey - as for omega 3, you just need to look for something high in DHA. We get ours from watsons by nu pharm. The salesgirl kept pushing for the ones from Japan though citing better fish product in the pills!
 
Hi Carey. I am taking a cheap brand that I bought from Bonjour (around 100 HKD for 300 pills)... It says "Konkabao OMEGA-3 Fish Oil". One day I was there looking for something else, and saw it... I know that the quality might not be that good, and the DHA content might not be that high, but I was thinking about taking it just like a supplement (something better than nothing), so I gave it a try.
 
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